DOTTY (The Naughty Ones Book 3) Read online

  “I heard them the other day, Rem,” she whispers, lowering her voice another decibel.“I was so confused at first, still am but…I heard them saying how somebody knew what they did to you. Brian was so mad, Rem, and he and Gareth were almost yelling at each other. And then he called someone and said they needed to take care of things. For good.”

  Say what now?

  “Lena, are you telling me that—”

  “At first, I thought he was talking to….but then the other three showed up and they weren’t dressed for golf. You know that Brian, Knox and those other three dimwits are still attached at the hip and…they were all there eventually, and then Brian made this call to someone and it sounded like he was taking orders and…what did they do? I know it’s something bad—”

  I’m not even listening anymore as she keeps babbling. The first thing that springs to mind is that my cousin is alone and unguarded in a house with that madman.

  “I have to go. Get away from them, Lena, and stay away.”

  “I’m leaving right now. Daddy got me a ticket to Greece to go visit Uncle Costa. I-I am so sorry for everything, Rem. I need you to believe that. I’m not good or kind, or even really very smart, but I’m not interested in hurting you. I think Brian wants revenge for whatever is going on between you, him and Chase. You need to be careful, Rem. He isn’t a very nice man,” She whispers tearfully, her eyes imploring me to give her a little measure of the trust I had before.

  “I know, Lena, and I plan to see that he gets his. Now listen. Leave, and don’t even go back to the house for your luggage. Just get out of here and get as far away as you can. Things are going to get a lot uglier and I don’t want you caught in the middle,” I warn, almost bolting from the bathroom.

  Before I can open the door, she grabs me and hugs me hard, her face a study of remorse when she pulls back and takes a deep breath.

  “Be careful, Rem.”

  “I don’t need to be, I have Chase,” I say, nudging her away as I force my lips into a tight smile.

  “Good bye, Remy.”

  I don’t answer as I open the door and meet Hensley. He’s leaning against the wall, his pose relaxed even as he scans the hallway for threats.

  “You okay, Rem?”

  “Not yet, but I will be.”

  Lena doesn’t realize what she’s just told me. Hell, my family had played the whole incident off as my having a nervous breakdown, so no one knows what really happened to me. But I now know something very important, something that Chase needs to know.

  There’s a sixth person to consider in our plans.

  I just need to find out who that is.

  Chapter 37

  Remy

  “Are you sure?”

  I watch Chase’s eyes narrow before he starts pacing again. I lean back into the headboard with a sigh, feeling completely wrung out and flummoxed by the night’s revelations.

  Lena had been so afraid. I honestly think she was just trying to warn me, but Chase is not so forgiving, and instead of trusting her words, he had Dec pick my cousin up and take her to a secure location for questioning.

  While I hate to think of Lena alone and afraid, cause yeah, Dec is one scary dude, I can’t help but feel a measure of relief that she’s with one of ours.

  “That’s what she said: Brian was talking to someone else about ending the whole thing while the rest of them were there in the room with him. I don’t know…even when I realized that it was them, it still struck me as odd. You remember them in school, hon, they’re not exactly leaders. Hell, Brian was only QB and captain because his parents put the screws to Coach Reyner. The man can’t lead a donkey, even dangling a carrot for the beast.”

  Chase starts muttering again and I lean back to watch him stalk and prowl around, his hair standing on end from minutes of combing his fingers through it in frustration.

  “You’re right.”

  That’s all that he says before he flops down beside me and stares at the ceiling. We remain quiet for a long time, just thinking, considering angles. Then he rolls into me and regards me with a frown.

  “You know that this has to be connected to what happened to you and Liv.”

  “Yeah, but for the life of me…they made it sound like this was about you and Gabe.”

  “Because it is in a way. We’ve been dismantling their shit for months, years even, and whoever is behind this knows that my only weakness is you. It was a message, but I’m beginning to suspect that it was to throw us off the trail and keep us distracted. Whoever started this was not happy. And they were definitely worried.”

  Yes, but that in no way clears up the mystery.

  “You know, Lena could just be…”

  “I’ve considered that,” I huff, turning to look at him.

  He’s propped up beside me and so sexy in his tux trousers and nothing else that I kinda regret telling him anything before we got home to have sex.

  “So, what now?”

  “Now we step things up a little and see how they try to cover their asses. Brick is on Brian, he even managed to get a full tap on his phones, and Dec has the others covered.”

  I accept his words and force myself not to worry or think about any of this, because at the end of the day, no matter what happens I am safe here with Chase. He won’t let me go again, and I don’t want to.

  Even if he still hasn’t told me he loves me.

  “No more thinking, Remy,” He instructs when I start biting at my lips.

  His mouth swoops down and he bites into me softly, his teeth sinking in and dragging my lip free before he sucks it into his mouth and starts an alternate sucking, nipping rhythm that I feel all the way to my clit and the emptiness I always feel when he’s not buried deep inside me.

  “I’ve thought about doing this all night. You looked so sexy in that dress, and all I could think is that I want to run my tongue over every inch of skin your underwear is hugging.”

  Oh, yes.

  He keeps sucking at my bottom lips, his tongue flicking in a parody of what I want him doing between my legs. I feel myself respond almost viciously as arousal hits me and starts readying me for his possession.

  The kiss is erotic and soft and so filled with a wealth of care that I feel myself aching with the implications of it. He has to love me. I know he has to because I feel it, even if he can’t say the words.

  I feel it in every soft caress as he slowly strips my clothes and undergarments away, in every reverent kiss he places on my skin when he finally abandons my mouth.

  I feel it when he licks me to the point of madness before settling over me and ever so slowly pushing forward to fill me. He keeps it slow and easy, gaining access till every part of me is filled and covered by his masculine body.

  I feel it when he starts pushing in and pulling out, his rhythm faltering only when I moan and bow up, tensing beneath him when a slow, lazy, yet no less intense orgasm rips its way through me, the lingering jolts of pleasure ripping his own climax from his tenuous control till I’m filled and surrounded by his bliss.

  As he pulls out and brings me closer into his arms, our limbs settling into a natural position that only familiarity can bring, I promise to be patient and wait him out.

  I know what he feels; I just need to give him time so he can give me the words.

  ***

  Sometimes, you just know that something bad is going to happen. No matter how hard you try to analyze the feeling or just be cautious, you know it’s unavoidable.

  I woke up with that feeling this morning and spent half the day walking around on eggshells, peeping around corners and just generally being a Nancy.

  And now I’m sick of hiding in the house behind the walls of Chase’s fortress. I’ve convinced Hensley to take me to Liv’s so that I can at least have a change of scenery and get the lowdown on some gossip.

  “Chase wants you home by five. The dinner you’re going to with the Falcone’s is at six, and he wants enough time to get you prepared for the security m
easures.”

  I groan and nod once, though truth be told, it’s starting to get a little annoying the way I can’t go to the bleeping bathroom without somebody knowing if it’s a one or a two.

  Liv greets me at the door, her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, her body decked out in a sleek, black V-neck sweater and a pair of ripped jeans.

  “Hey Girl! Come on up, I ordered Italian for lunch and we’ve got this chick stopping by who does these amazing massages.”

  “Did Gabe or Chase clear this?”

  We both ignore Hen and walk up, rolling our eyes at his muttering. Security is one thing, but having a baby sitter who calls your ‘parent’ every five minutes to narc on your every move is not cool. Even if you know that the babysitter in question likes you enough to take a bullet for you.

  “Jesus, I cannot wait till they catch whoever this is and take care of Brian and those other assholes. I’m going crazy in this place. Yesterday I tried to go for a walk and Chase came home just as I was sneaking out the door.”

  I snort and throw my purse onto the coffee table before falling onto the sofa.

  “Try having to tell a grown man who looks like he eats nails for breakfast that you ran out of tampons. First time I ever saw Hen look like he wanted to cry.”

  Liv snorts and starts laughing. I join in when I finally admit that I’d had a perfectly good box of the suckers in the bathroom cabinet. Sending him out for feminine hygiene products had been my way of getting back at him for telling Chase that I wasn’t following the rules. Really, I took one walk close to the eastern wall—to check for easy escape areas of course—and all of a sudden I’m being treated like a flight risk.

  All I want is a little freedom and they can’t understand it.

  “I’ve kinda got a plan to break out of the asylum for today. I need to run on over to Mrs. Cadenski’s place. It's Libby's birthday and I promised her months ago that I’d be there.”

  I nod because I would love to go to Libby’s birthday. The little girl and her mom now live in the new apartments Chase built and have much better lives, but Libby has a rare bone marrow cancer that is proving more aggressive and virulent and resistant to any of the treatments her doctors have given her.

  There isn’t much hope, but that girl and her mom live every day as if it’s a celebration.

  “What’ve you got planned?”

  Half an hour later, the masseuse is happily munching on Italian food and Liv and I are sneaking down the hall, out the back door and into the service elevator.

  “See? Stick with me kid.” Liv laughs, throwing an arm around me and pulling me closer to avoid the camera in the upper left corner.

  “Always, Livvie doodle.” I giggle, taking in her disguise of a baseball cap and huge, clear-lensed glasses.

  Never let it be said that Liv doesn’t always dress for the occasion.

  “You know what I find really funny, Remy?”

  I shake my head as the doors open and Liv leads me to the back entrance, her movements stealthy and ingenious as she avoids the cameras and pulls me out the back door behind her.

  “What do you find funny, Liv?”

  We’re outside now and the cold air hits me with a punch that steals my breath as we skirt down the alley and tiptoe down the street, keeping the door of Gabe’s building in view.

  “I find it really funny that not one of you ever thought about me.”

  I turn to her, a little confused by her tone…and my heart just knows…

  “I mean, think about it, Rem, who had access to your car? Who knew that we were making plans to go away for the weekend? Who has been one step ahead of you this whole time?” she asks quietly, looking at me with a wealth of pity.

  “You…I don’t understand.” I gasp, shrieking when a set of strong hands grips my shoulders and pulls me back, into a car I hadn’t even heard pull up.

  Liv follows me in and shoves me to the opposite seat, her face a portrait of cool satisfaction when she leans in and plants her lips on…Gareth Knox.

  They attack each other, their mouths and groans making my stomach turn. Knox pulls away and leans back, his demeanor calm and relaxed.

  “You’ve been a cause of great annoyance for me lately, Remy. Your husband has gone on a very intensive mission to avenge those photos we put on the net. He’s systematically taken over every company and asset owned by each of us. Even poor Brian hasn’t escaped the man’s wrath.”

  My mind is whirling as the car pulls away and starts making its way through the streets. I lunge for the door and grab the latch, gasping when Gareth backhands me and calmly shoves me back, my head ringing from the blow.

  “Why, Liv?”

  She smiles regretfully and shrugs.

  “Brian is no fool, Remy, he’s kept an eye on Alex since the beginning, and he kept you under his thumb as a bargaining chip. When you forced the divorce and shacked up with Marshall, he knew it was a matter of time before his whole house of cards came crashing down. So he made a deal. He’d get rid of you, and in return, every one that Marshall’s after would get a free pass.”

  “But you all deserve this!” I yell at Knox, not even bothering with Liv anymore. “You and Brian are monsters! You ruined Alex, and then you attacked me.”

  He cocks a brow and I have to force myself not to lunge at him across the car and wrap my fingers around his throat.

  “We warned him not to touch you. There were already plans in place for you and he was ruining everything. You…we had to find a way to drive you back to Brian.”

  “Why! I’m just one person. One woman. What difference could I have possibly made?”

  I’m yelling now because I’m getting truly scared. They’re talking as if I’m disposable, and yet they seem to be implying that I’m central to their plans—

  “Simple. We needed you to keep Brian in line. He’s in a position to work those all-important defense contracts our way and we, in turn, make a shit load of money without going through all that red tape. We’ve had the guy by the balls since high school.”

  Liv laughs as if the thought of Brian being controlled is hilarious.

  “Let me get this straight. The five of you are the masterminds behind arms deals?”

  Knox laughs loudly and shakes his head.

  “Family businesses sweetheart. Our parents started this shit and handed it down. Once we got Brian into a position of power things got easier.”

  “Parents?”

  Oh God.

  “Why would you need me involved?”

  Keep them talking, Rem, you have to find all the players.

  At that I see Liv’s lips twitch.

  “Because mommy dearest used your name on all the documents, and Brian got your stupid ass to sign away a lot of your…you do know you’ve got a trust fund, right?”

  They’re both laughing so uproariously that it takes them a while to calm down. I use the time to think. Then I realize…they’ve all been playing me this whole time and using me and—“My grandmother left me money?”

  “She left it to you—and your mom has been dipping her sticky fingers in since your twenty-first birthday. She got access to it the day you signed your marriage certificate. She just slipped a few extra documents in there—easy as you please.”

  When they say that last bit, I reach into my coat—the heavy coat Hensley had put on me—and grip the gun that I never leave home without. I feel pretty damn good about keeping my shit together as I bring it out and aim. My mouth is curved in a slow smile that very quickly has these two scumbags silenced and looking back at me in horror.

  “Wanna know something that you didn’t know two days ago? Gabriel may be in love with a woman that doesn’t exist but the guy is no fool. He knew there was something off about you the moment Chase told him you ‘got into his computer.’ See, Gabe doesn’t leave sensitive information out in the open like that.”

  Liv’s smile is completely gone now. I laugh and tell her that her acting skills aren’t as grand as she may t
hink.

  “And then there’s the fact that Lena overheard all you bastards talking. She tipped me off and Chase got a wire on Brian. We know all about your back door dealings, and believe you me, the authorities are just eating that up and ready to indict your asses. We needed your boss, though. So thanks for the long convo and thanks so much for admitting that you all used me as a pawn. You got everything, Dec?”

  The window behind me slides down slowly to reveal not only Dec, but Brick and a grinning Chase, his eyes focused on the gun I have pointed at my targets.

  “We’ve got it, babe. You thought about that executive position I offered you? I could use your scheming mind to close deals,” he croons.

  “Nah. I kinda want to have a baby soon, so I think I might already be booked. Sorry.”

  We’re all laughing by the time the limo pulls up to the police station, and I have to say, I like this new, harder, more intense version of me. In the end, I’ve not only been an integral part of unravelling the mystery that was the sixth player, but I’ve nailed Liv to the wall too.

  While it’s a shock, I understand why I woke up in that room alone and why she was never drugged. They wanted me dead, I was no longer of use to them and they were trying to kill two birds with one stone—because killing me would have destroyed Chase.

  Even more, I understand that my life has not been my own since the day my mother saw me slipping through her grasp, and that only now am I truly free.

  Chase gave me that, and I will henceforth move on from this part of my life secure in the knowledge that I am protected, yes, but I am fully capable and powerful enough to protect myself.

  Chapter 38

  Remy

  “I am so sorry.”

  I kiss my father once and walk away from the courthouse, my husband standing tall beside me as he hurries me to the car and hands me in. The case, after four months of investigation and building evidence, went relatively quickly.

  Brian will serve at least twenty-five years. While he was only doing this because they were blackmailing him, he was directly involved in my kidnapping and thus got a few more years even though he turned state’s evidence.